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Sporting Kansas City is helping Chad Ochocinco fill his now-empty days with a diversion: a four-day trial next week to see if the throwball player can handle himself on the professional soccer field. He's actually played the game before, but it was literally decades ago, before he got to high school.

I can't help but be reminded of Michael Jordan's attempt at creating a second career, and have to wonder if the results will be the same. He may be in great shape, and have a feel for the game, but he's not playing against middle-school kids anymore. MLS may be a second-rate league in comparison to other leagues around the world, but it's quality is increasing, and it will be very interesting to see how the wide receiver handles the physical play MLS has become known for.

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Best case scenario: He's not THAT much worse than the worst player at the tryout.

On another MB, someone asked about him in comparison to another person KC once brought in, and here's a response:

Chhetri is a soccer player, just not MLS calibre. Tons of skill, good instincts, poorly developed. I respect him and if he was 22 I'd be pissed he was gone. Ocho looks like a clumsy kid in a school yard, almost no skill, no feel for the game. Probably likes his FIFA. Hard to believe he even watches this game. At 33 he has no time to learn.

Chhetri could have worked, Ocho never will.

Worst case scenario: He gets hurt.

Not sure what the potential benefit is. Kind of making a mockery of soccer to act like he's going to belong on the same field as guys that are professional.

What's amazing is that SKC fans honestly believe this will bring positive publicity and attention to their team, but from what I've seen, nobody's talking about it outside of MLS circles and here.

Here's one somewhat delusional take that other MB:

I know this has been compared to Jordan trying to play pro baseball many years ago. I still remember that he played for the Birmingham Barons. If he hadn't played for them, there would be no way I even knew they existed. Hopefully many people will now be aware of Sporting KC on a local and national level. There is no telling how many dollars of free advertising this whole thing has generated for the club

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He's apparently dropping names of famous soccer players he knows wherever he can, and I believe has gone so far as to suggest that guys like Kaka and Ronaldinho will come to SKC matches, just to see him sit on the bench...another poster suggested that SKC stadium personnel should get paid extra having to clean up all the names he's dropping

They had a practice game today, and he scored on a penalty kick and assisted on another goal. This will likely be the highlight of the Ochocinco MLS experience.